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| Russian Bees Exploring! |
It was sunny and pleasant, 42F so I went to visit my bees in Chanhassen, MN. The Russian colony is alive and well. I saw some bees flying as far as 100 feet from their hive. They really live up to their name...like the Carniolan bees; the Russian bees have a good overall success of overwintering. And in addition they have a better tolerance to Varroa mites. I love my Russian bees :)
My question is: Why don't we see more of them available to hobby beekeepers? Especially in our rigorous part of the world?
I also have 4 Italian colonies in another apiary in Chanhassen. 3 out 4 survived, so far.
I am a little surprised I thought that maybe 2 would not make it. Hive 4 had a lot of Varroa mites all summer long, I treated, and treated but was not very confident in the fall about their winter survival.
The bees are not out of the wood yet.... The next 6 weeks will be the other big test. The queen will start laying eggs (next couple of weeks or so), thus the worker bees that will keep the brood warm will eat a lot of honey to keep the nest very warm (93F).
I believe that I left enough honey for he bees, since I did not harvest any. However, even if there is food in the hive, the bees have to be able to walk where it is located. Sometimes, if it becomes very cold suddenly, the cluster of bees will tighten, protecting the brood and will not be able to access their reserve, even if it is one inch away.
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| Bees are flying in and out of their hive |
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